MIAMI, Fla. January 10, 2013 ̶ The two teams that battled for the 2012 North American Soccer League (NASL) championship face tough rematches of last year’s semi finals when the 2013 NASL Spring Season kicks off on Saturday, April 6.

“I’m eager to watch the intriguing matchups unfold on opening weekend,” said NASL Commissioner Bill Peterson. “I feel this is a schedule that will excite our fans because of the added pressure to win every game under the new format. 2013 will be a milestone year for the NASL and our teams and I can’t wait for it to kick off.”

The one-month summer break will allow NASL teams to schedule exhibition games and occurs during the international transfer window that is open throughout much of Europe, Latin America and North America.

Interest in the 2013 NASL Combine which will be held from February 1-3 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. has increased drmatically over the previous year. Applications for the annual event have been elevated by almost 200% over 2012. The annual event will allow players the opportunity to display their talents to coaches, scouts and staff from each NASL club. Applicants this year have come from across the globe and burgeoning talent from not only North America and the Caribbean, but Europe, South America, Africa and the Middle East will be on display in Fort Lauderdale next month.

Eric Wynalda Named Silverbacks Technical Director
US Soccer Legend Served as Interim Head Coach and Team Advisor in 2012

Atlanta Silverbacks have appointed former interim head coach and U.S. soccer legend Eric Wynalda as the team’s technical director, the club announced Monday.

“I’m thrilled to continue my relationship with the Silverbacks, and I’m just excited to try and help the club achieve the success on the field that they’re striving for,” Wynalda said. “I know how serious the organization is about winning a NASL championship and also making a run in the U.S. Open Cup, so I’m looking forward to working with Brian Haynes and the rest of the organization to meet those goals.”

Wynalda, 43, will be filling a new role with the Silverbacks after serving as the club’s interim head coach and team advisor during the second half of the 2012 season. The former U.S. Men’s National Team star helped orchestrate an impressive turnaround for a team that managed only eight points through its first 14 games. The team posted the league’s best record over the last nine games of the season under Wynalda and Brian Haynes, who he hired as the team’s permanent head coach in early August.

INDIANAPOLIS (January 16, 2013) – Professional soccer is coming to Indianapolis. The Midwest passion for the world’s most popular game will be rewarded when the 12th team to join the North American Soccer League kicks off in the Hoosier state in 2014.

NASL Commissioner Bill Peterson today welcomed the new Indiana franchise, owned by Ersal Ozdemir, president and chief executive officer of Keystone Construction Corporation into the men’s professional soccer league for the 2014 season, joining the likes of defending champion Tampa Bay Rowdies, San Antonio Scorpions, Atlanta Silverbacks and the New York Cosmos.

It may have been a long and winding road for the Atlanta Silverbacks and their fans, but the search for a new logo is over. The club unveiled its new logo at a party on Wednesday night at Brewhouse Café in Little Five Points, bringing a conclusion to a two-month-long process.

“We’re very happy with our new logo and we want to thank everyone who was a part of the process,” said Silverbacks Chairman Boris Jerkunica. “Getting everyone involved was a lot of fun, and I think it made the whole process much more enjoyable. Without the fan involvement, I don’t think we would have come up with such a great logo design.”

The new logo, designed by Wisconsin native Ryan Foose, was one of four finalists in the Silverbacks Logo Design Contest, which began in mid-November. Throughout the final round of the contest, people from all over the world voted for their favorite finalist via the Silverbacks’ website, and in the end, the club ended up receiving thousands of votes.

Indianapolis Fans Embracing Newest NASL Team
Team has sold over 1,250 season ticket deposits

At 6pm on Wednesday, 16 January 2013 season ticket deposits for Indy Pro Soccer began to be accepted online. Just hours after it had been announced that Indy Pro Soccer would enter the North American Soccer League (NASL) in the 2014 season, fans poured in their support by placing hundreds of deposits to secure their seat priority for games planned to be played at Carroll Stadium in downtown Indianapolis. Less than three days after tickets were placed on sale, more than one thousand $25 deposits had been placed. At the time of writing, the number now stands at 1,250.

Scorpions to Open Toyota Field Against Familiar Foe
Tampa Bay Visits San Antonio on April 13th

The San Antonio Scorpions will open up their new home stadium—the state-of-the-art Toyota Field—against the defending NASL Champions Tampa Bay Rowdies on April 13, 2013. Last season, the Scorpions first-ever home game drew a sellout crowd of 13,151 fans to Heroes Stadium

Now that almost every MLS club are in pre-season training, it is that time where rumours are flying around on trialists and potential signings for the upcoming season. While many focus on players coming over from abroad, or what rookies will make an impact from the SuperDraft, the divisions below MLS can provide plenty of potential for those willing to take a chance.

The New York Cosmos and head coach Gio Savarese will be hosting an invitation-only player combine in mid February.

Space at the combine is limited, but all interested players must register online at: www.nycosmos.com/combine. Applications should be submitted online and applicants must be 18 or older and have a valid e-mail address as registration forms will not be accepted via fax or over the phone. All successful registrants will be contacted with a schedule via e-mail.

The New York Cosmos announced today the signing of goalkeeper Kyle Reynish as the club’s second signing this offseason.

The 6-foot-3 Reynish, 29, joins the Cosmos from Real Salt Lake where he had served as the backup to MLS All-Star goalkeeper Nick Rimando since 2007.

“Kyle is a goalkeeper that I have been following for a long time and I am very happy to be able to bring him to the club,” said Cosmos head coach, Giovanni Savarese. “Along with Carlos Mendes, Kyle Reynish gives us a strong foundation at the back from which we can build around.”

After being drafted by Real Salt Lake in the fourth round (43rd overall) of the 2007 MLS SuperDraft, Reynish spent six seasons in Utah and impressed whenever called upon. In three starts during the 2012 season, he recorded a 0.67 GAA, 1-0-2 record and two shutouts.

Today marks the start of the annual NASL Combine, a three day tryout in sunny Fort Lauderdale. Over 60 players from all over the world have been invited to display their talents in front of NASL coaches in the hope of earning a professional contract.

The combine, now in its third year, has proven to be very successful in identifying talent to fill NASL rosters. In 2012, a total of nine combine participants landed professional contracts with NASL teams

2013 NASL Combine will take place at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The schedule is as follows:

The New York Cosmos have announced today that Alecko Eskandarian has joined the club as an assistant coach.

"I am delighted to welcome Alecko back into the Cosmos family” said Cosmos head coach, Giovanni Savarese. "Alecko is the perfect addition to my coaching staff. Alecko grew up with the Cosmos and understands the club and I look forward to working with him. Along with his excellent playing career, Alecko has good coaching experience already and I feel he has what it takes to be a top level coach.”

Eskandarian most recently served as the Philadelphia Union’s youth technical director. Before that he enjoyed a successful MLS career, where he played for DC United, Toronto FC, Real Salt Lake, Chivas USA and the Los Angeles Galaxy. In 2004, he won the MLS Cup with DC United and was named the MLS Cup MVP. Eskandarian retired in 2010 from concussion related symptoms

NASL Virginia Team Identity Revealed: Virginia Cavalry FC
Ashburn-based team will take the pitch in 2014

Ashburn, VA – February 6, 2013 – Bearing a strong, classic name VIP Sports & Entertainment's North American Soccer League franchise -- previously referred to by the generic term "NASL Virginia" -- has established an identity and will be known as Virginia Cavalry FC.

The team's website is http://www.VirginiaCavalry.com, and they can be found on social media at Facebook.com/VirginiaCavalry and Twitter.com/CavalryFC.

The Cavalry released a number of images, none of which are the final team logo. The logo and team uniforms will be unveiled soon via the Cavalry’s social media platforms directly to our fans. A high-resolution version of the word marks can be found at http://www.virginiacavalry.com/media.

Cosmos Name Carlos Llamosa Assistant Coach.
US World Cup Defender Joins New York Coaching Staff

The New York Cosmos announced today that Carlos Llamosa has joined the club as an assistant coach.

“Adding Carlos as an assistant immediately strengthens our backroom staff,” Cosmos head coach Giovanni Savarese said. “With his wealth of professional and international experience in both Major League Soccer and with the US national team, he is the perfect complement to Alecko [Eskandarian], Memo [Valencia] and myself. He also brings that top-level coaching experience and defensive tactical awareness which will be key for our team.”

Llamosa most recently served as an assistant coach for Chivas USA in MLS where he coached since the 2008/09 season.

The New York Cosmos announced today the acquisition of Spanish midfielder Ayoze as the team’s fourth signing this offseason. Ayoze, 27, is a left-sided midfielder/winger who joins the Cosmos from Sporting Gijón where he had played since 2010.

“Ayoze is a very talented player that has great experience in the top two divisions in Spain,” Cosmos Head Coach Giovanni Savarese said. “That experience should prove invaluable to our team this season. He also has the versatility to play anywhere on the left side. Combined with the energy he brings to the pitch every game, I think our fans are in for a real treat when he suits up in Cosmos colors.”